1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wire preparation machines and specifically to machines of the type for fabricating a continuous length of insulation clad wire into a plurality of cut and stripped wire leads.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Wire preparation machines for fabricating a continuous length of insulation clad wire into a plurality of cut and stripped wire leads are well known in the art as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,681, issued Nov. 6, 1973, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. The above-mentioned patent discloses a machine which has a preparation station whereat the wire is cut and stripped, a cutting mechanism at the preparation station for cutting the insulation clad wire, a stripping mechanism at the preparation station spaced a given distance from the cutting mechanism for stripping insulation from the wire lead exposing a given length of conductor from the end of the wire lead, and intermittent drive means for moving the wire to the preparation station after each cutting and stripping operation.
It may be desirable to use machines of the type described to produce a plurality of wire leads having different characteristics depending on the application of that particular wire lead. More particularly, a machine of this type can be used in association with other means for applying a terminal onto the end of the cut and stripped wire lead as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,889, issued Nov. 1, 1977, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The above patent, the contents of which are incorporated herein discloses the use of the wire preparation of the type described herein in association with an automatic terminating and lead insertion means.
In such an application, it may be desirable not only to vary the length of the wire lead, but, also to vary the length of the insulation strip, i.e., the length of the exposed conductor after the cutting and stripping mechanism. To date, the prior art has not taught a means of producing a plurality of cut and stripped wire leads where the amount of exposed conductor is varied in a given sequence.